Validation of food visual attribute perception in virtual reality

International audienceThis study aimed to test the validity of visual representations of food products in virtual reality by comparing descriptions of a set of actual vs. virtual cookies. This validation is key to future applications of virtual reality in sensory studies. Ten commercial cookies were virtualized by photogrammetry then configured inside virtual sensory booths designed using Unity and presented via a first-version HTC Vive virtual reality headset. Flash profiling was used to determine changes in relative weight of the perceptual dimensions in the product space and compare descriptions of actual vs. virtual product appearance. Conventional profiling of both actual and virtual products then served to determine whether common sensory dimensions carry the same kind of weight in both real and virtual sensory spaces and show similar ranges of difference among products. The results showed that descriptions of virtual cookies were close to descriptions of the actual cookies. Brightness carried more weight in the perceptual space of actual products whereas color contrast carried more weight in the perceptual space of virtual products. However, this difference may have arisen from software-setting configurations that could be optimized for a better match. Taken together, the results of this study offer promising perspectives for the use of virtual products in sensory and consumers studies